Welcome!
This blog/site is a collection of my thoughts, articles and
other general excitement tied into cycling, training and competing
as a vegan bike racer and athlete.
Articles of Interest:
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One CX Ends, A New CX Begins
Yes, cyclocross season is over, and back to winter training, and several days a week at Crag X Climbing Gym.
Last weekend was the BC Provincial Cyclocross Championships over in North Van. I headed over with Fluffy, Steve & Chelsea. Fun road-trippin' crew!
Got picked up at (ugh) 6am, and made the ferry with plenty of time. Uneventful ferry ride, and arrived at the course with plenty of time to spare. We wandered around a bit, checking out some of the features. It was pretty flat, winding around Mahon Park. Very different from any Cross on the Rock course. I believe the entire course was at least a couple meters wide, so nearly always opportunities to pass. It had been pretty wet, and although a grey day, no rain was seen....but it had done it's thing to the course, and the sharp 2m ride-ups were savaged and there were a few spots with muds of varying liquidity.
My racing option was Senior/Elite, so i was definitely outgunned. Not to mention i was still under the influence of that surprisingly tenacious cold...i managed to get on the bike the week before, but it wasn't particularly productive, nor did i feel fantastic. (Still, got that 5min/350 watt PB which i'm pretty happy with.)
Roland had gone over the day before, and raced the final BC Cup, and finished just off the podium in 4th in the B's. I would have been there had i felt more spunky...it was my original plan, but didn't feel up for it..
Roland raced in the Masters 30-39 field, which was bigger than he expected....he pulled off a 10th tho, good show! Fluffy in the next level of Masters pulled off a 4th (he thought he was further back!) and the Island's CX superhero Norm took the title, Provincial Champ! ( He edged out Johnny Fokkema, who in turn sniped him at Nats.) There were lots of Islanders on the podium including my ride back, Peter Wellsman, who got 2nd in his field, and young Amanda Wakeling, who also claimed 2nd in the U17 Women. Joelle and Chelsea had great rides. Mike Brinton and Jordon Duncan, juniors who gave me grief in the local races also earned medals. Apologies to others i missed, full results and very accurate course-description here. Here we all are afterwards, great idea by Wendy Simms to snap a pic:
So, for my own race it was weird to line up with people i know who are so fast, and many more people i don't know who are fast. Steve was the only rider i'd see nearby for a little while.. (Apologies to Michael Rothengatter, who was with me at the start line, but i didn't recognize in the H&R kit, and out of context from the velodrome!! Glad we trackies are consistent in finishing off the back of the field in CX - really, could any cycling discipline be any less compatible?! Wait, what was Scott Mulder doing finishing 2nd?? hahaha.. Molly Cameron totally blows my theory out of the water, doing well on both...anyways..)
It was a tough course, with virtually no opportunities for recovery. Lots of shifts in speed, and a staggering assortment of mud.
The course started off with a straight-away and wide corner on a hard running surface, and then a sharp left into an uphill mudpit. It looked a bit like this (thanks to Amanda for the pics! Don't blame her for the blurriness, blame Vancouver's sky!):
There was a line you could ride up at the top, if you could get there... I gather more people ran it:
That led the first of many hairpin turns, and a set of 3 stairs. (The more advanced or brave riders would just ride up them. I stuck to running 'em.)
That spit us out into mudpit #2. Mudpit #2 lead to Mudpit #3 - The Descent. A short drop that was pretty carved out. Another stretch on running track, a few tight twists through some trees, over a pit of fist-sized sharp rocks, and back onto the playing surface, around another hairpin and into the barriers.
That lead back over the rocks part two. Luckily there was a narrow line on the right, i called the flat-free alley. A 90 degree turn led to some grass, and a short drop...which ended in Mudpit #4 - The Ascent. Luckily you hit this with some speed, and would get up quick. It was ridable on my pre-ride, but impossible afterwards... That wound around a tree and down another descent, which had another turn and then another sharp climb back up. This one was ridable all race. It literally hairpinned into another descent. These were all about 2m rises/descents, btw. Very power-oriented, which was fine for me..
All this lead to a paved straight of about 250m, and back onto grass with another hairpin. You're prolly starting to sense a theme here. ;)
This was the only recovery on the course, as you descended another 200m on a slight slope. It was over in about 8 seconds. Hope your heartrate has dropped sufficiently!
Another hairpin with some mud, another stretch on and off some concrete, and another hairpin. This lead to another hairpin and Mudpit #5 - The Drop Into The Slop. First off, it was a hairpin on a drop. The drop section itself was mud, and had many deep ruts. I managed to figure out a line that cut across it all and dropped me into the deepest section of 'The Slop', which was the best section to ride. It was about 10cm deep mud, about as thick as applesauce, where we can see Norm here:
Just a 90 degree corner there, but just out of view is a brief muddy berm into Mudpit #6. Similar to The Slop, but not as deep. These sections really tested your drivetrain... Across a small basketball court, into another steep powerclimb, this one maybe 3m long. If you were smart, you conserved a bit across the b-ball court to make it up this. If not, it was a run. And yes, muddy, tho seemed better as the race progressed.
Another 50m straight, and the 'real' stairs, about six of them. A quick ascent and return to the saddle, but for some reason this next section just killed me to get through. It was just 30m, into a hairpin and around a tree, but for some reason i moved SO SLOW there. The course wiggled between several more trees, and then wound back to the playing field, for a 100m straight, then another drop, tight corner and muddy ascent. I wasn't riding this, i think i saw a few other riders making it tho. 50m down was the finish/lap point.
This was the most exciting moment of the day for me - it was the final lap and Sven Sturm had been chasing me from the stairs.. He caught me by the run-up, and had a sprint for the line, and i managed to avoid getting lapped by him..haha.. Well, lapped twice. I think. For some reason the results say i was lapped once by the leaders, but i was definitely 2 laps down on Evan, Craig, Dan, Drew and Nick. I guess i held Sven to only 1 lap. ;)
I went into it with two goals: Top 20 finish, and not-last. Mission Accomplished! There were 22 riders, so there was some risk with this, but four DNF'd. As for the 2nd goal...that was fairly close, but luckily i remained ahead of one rider.
So two more Islanders finished around the podium, with Craig taking Silver, and Drew in 4th, both putting in strong rides.
Glad i went, although my body wasn't really up for any degree of competitiveness. I think were i feeling better, might have been able to finish 2-3 positions higher, but that'd be about it.. I guess that'll be my goal for next year: Top 15. =)
A few more pics, here's Norm negotiating the top section of the descent into the Drop Into The Slop:
Rollie about to hit the slop:
Fluffy catches and passes Rollie:
On one of many hairpin corners:
Hello haybale, had to ditch the shades as they were fogging up:
On the ferry on the way home, i didn't get a chance to hose down my bike before leaving (technically they took down the hose before i could!!)
My full set of shots can be found here. Not a lot, but hey.. Fun ride home with Peter and Craig, and a satisfying end to the 'cross season. =)
I've got some PowerTap data from rides on Thursday (w/Alyssa) and Saturday (again, out to Mt Doug with the OBB group), but it's not particularly interesting. Took Tuesday off, and hoping to get on the MTB tomorrow (Thursday.) Oh, fun link: my report for my first 'cross race, Nov '06.
Climbing Gym
I've been excited for months to get back to climbing, and so Monday made it out with my vegan climbing friend Kelly. This is our 3rd year of climbing together. Started Dec '07 or Jan '08, and go until March or so. It's an excellent form of cross training, and does wonders for the core (not to mention developing overall upper-body strength.) I usually end up going 2-3 days a week (the days i'm not on the bike!) By the end of Season 1 (Mar08), we were doing 10a's with relative ease, and completing some b's, and working on c's.
Fall '08, return in mid-November, work my way up, and back to 10a's in a few weeks. By end of Feb '09, i'd cleaned most 10d's, and was working on several 11a's, very nearly able to clear a couple... Pretty good progress! Most happy with my form, which i'd really worked hard on. Racing started early March, and i was feeling pretty done by then, so ended the season and focused back 100% on cycling.
So it's Fall '09, and i hit the walls on Monday. Very happy to be back! Funnily, there was only one rope that had routes from when we left. ;)
I felt pretty clunky starting off..jumped onto a 5.6, no prob tho i didn't feel very smooth. Did a 5.7, no prob. Moved up to a 5.8, again, no prob, although starting to feel it in the fingers a bit more, more fatiguing.
Thought i'd limit myself to the 5.8's, and cleaned them all. That was 2hrs, called it a night, pretty happy. After a couple 5.8's, my form really started to come back, and i was feeling mostly 'normal'. Even gave a 5.9 a go, felt great. Toes were sore tho!
Last night (Wed), went back for my second session. Recovered well, fingers and forearms felt solid. Started on a 5.7 - felt great. 5.8 - no prob. Did my first 5.9 - it had smaller, tighter near-pinches, no prob. Felt it a bit more, but it was good. Continued on with the 5.9's, and cleaned all in the gym but the long, overhang one with a nasty hold near the top. I think we've figured out how to manoeuvrer it, so shouldn't be a prob next session. There was also a 5.9+ that i attempted near the end, but i was pretty fried by then, but i *really* enjoyed that route. More challenging, and required a fair bit of 'yoga' as i put it - where you have to twist your body to make a hold with the greatest efficiency and smoothness. ( You can just muscle it, but that's not my climbing 'style'...not to mention that it becomes an increasingly futile method as the climbs get more difficult. To all new climbers that might be reading this: WORK ON YOUR FORM!! Be SMOOTH and flow from hold to hold.)
Next session (Fri or Sat) will begin to tackle that 9+, and some of the 10a's. At this rate, i ought to be nearly back to where i was in a few weeks...assuming my fingers can keep up! Goal this season is to conquer the 11a's, and maybe a few b's. With climbing, there's diminishing returns once you get up to those levels... Going from a 10a to a 10b is fairly do-able. Going from 11a to 11b takes a LOT of practice. One note about my 'training': i'm just doing this for fun. I'm not doing pushups, pullups, or any finger exercises, and rarely do laps. I know i could progress faster doing these things, but i'm getting enough of a challenge, and happy with my rate of progression. Besides, once able to do 12a's, there's not many climbs left to do at the gym. ;)
Links of Interest
Okay, it's getting late, and i've got a bunch saved up, but got a couple fun ones -- GoogleMaps Streetview have invaded Victoria, so i can show the world a few spots, so here are a few.
First, my bike shop Oak Bay Bikes. Here's the section of Beacon Hill Park where we'd do most of our 'cross practice. And unfortunately they don't going up the street where Crag X is, but it's the tall building on the right.
Laters!
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=============Labels: climbing, cyclocross, racing
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Falling From Fourth
Ahh...'cross on the island is over..went out with a high and low. The course we designs for CrossVega was AWESOME. People raved about it. Low was that i went into the race sitting 4th overall in Intermediate, and after being unable to perform, plus a flat, i've probably dropped to 10th or so...nuts. Anyway, catching up on the week:
Saturday - OBB Ride
Still wasn't feeling very great, cold still lingering. Headed out on the OBB ride, planning to ride an hour and a bit. Funny group, rather small, and we had *two* flats before leaving Oak Bay!! I realized i was still feeling like crap. Fraaaack..not looking good for Sunday. I stuck with the group to Mt. Doug, then turned left on Shelbourne and cruised back home. Power deets:
Entire workout (166 watts):
Duration: 1:03:14 (1:11:33)
Work: 622 kJ
TSS: 64.1 (intensity factor 0.784)
Norm Power: 204
VI: 1.23
Distance: 27.911 km
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 590 166 watts
Heart Rate: 82 180 148 bpm
Cadence: 32 138 91 rpm
Speed: 3.9 66 26.7 kph
Not much power, and even this was draining.
At noon headed up to Shawnigan Lake School with Jen, Roland and Katie, and met up with Norm, Chris, Dan and Ian Craib to set up the course. Below is the 'general' map.
There was some wiggling in the whiteish bit in the middle, and the field on the lower right was my domain...and i turned it into an epic, challenging sequence, features some tight turns off the top, up a small rise, which drops into a mud pit, then back up immediately (which got quite slick) and then a short straight into 'The Flush', basically a mini whirly-whirl. Another short stretch on a trail to the three off-camber V's. The first most rode, the second was a challenge, and very few could ride the third. Then another short straight, a tab more elevation, and then a drop in an S bend corner that was also very challenging, with riders slipping out and unclipping with great frequency...the goal there was to slow riders before the chute into the woods, which was a fast downhill - it woulda been a bit nuts to have riders hit that with speed!
From there was the downhill, which became a river overnight (it was mostly dry Saturday, i swear!) That river hid many sharp rocks which caused most to flat...myself included. In the woods was a short 'singletrack' technical section, and then out onto a road section that continued downhill. From there, back to a trail which had a very technical riser/berm, and tight turn back to the main trail, that led to the stairs. Best placement for stairs, imo as well, as you were fully recovered by the time you hit them. Long set too, but i actually managed okay on them.
That continued with the uphill..up a road, then a short cross over to more wooded, rocky trails, and up and up and up...into the bottom of the rugby field, some more climbing getting ABOVE the rugby field, and then around it..ugh! Once back nearly where we started circumnavigating the field was the real mud...it just got worse each lap, real wheel-sucking stuff..haha.. A 5 meter drop and short stretch before the barriers (just two), another downhill on the road, and then back up to the lap/finish point. From there a long uphill road to the grassy field. It was a LONG freaking course, nearly 3.5km by my estimates. Awesome to ride tho.
Sunday - CrossVega!
Ahh.. The Island Championships...double-points for the series too, and i'm flattened by a cold. I had a decent first lap, stuck with the front through the grass:
I think one person might have snuck by on the stairs:
After that it went downhill on the uphill. Several people eased by as i had no high-end to power up the climb...so sad..trailed the group around the field and then lost contact on the road..
(Thanks to Mical and Danielle for these shots!)
And basically kept moving backwards from there all race.. The grassy field allowed me to bridge up to a rider a time or two, but that was about the only momentum i could manage.. And then i flatted to boot..haha..
Other riders had good races tho, Geoff Pendral won our race, Roland pulled off another impressive 4th place finish, securing his victory of taking the entire series! (And then he raced Expert later on too, what a maniac!)
Teammate Jen had a rough race too. Battling it out with Glenowyn for a couple laps, but then flatting as well as a few mechanicals. Still, she managed to hold onto 3rd for the Open Women's field, awesome work Jen, nice job representing! =)
The event finale was pretty swell, with TONS of awesome prizes for the draws, and nearly everyone must have walked away with something. Gotta thank Vega, Green Cuisine (vegan chili and corn bread for racers!) and Pink Sugar for helping with prizing for OA. =)
It was bittersweet as well, as the series was finished...wouldn't be seeing so many faces, especially Normon and Wendy, who have done SO much work to make the series happen. Norm won the Top Organizer's award from CyclingBC this year, and rightly so! Cross on the Rock is a golden, magical event, thanks to these two!
My own pics of the Masters/Womens and Elite race, plus details on course features can be found here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/davenoisy1/20091122CrossOnTheRock6CrossVega
Tuesday - Training, 350w/5min Effort
Wasn't sure how i'd feel, or if i'd be able to do anything on the bike. Plan was to head out to the Observatory, do a short effort on the way, and see how that felt and go from there..
Off the top i didn't feel too great, legs a bit achy, but a few minutes in it started coming together, and by the time i was on Interurban, i felt mostly "normal"! Legs were pushing the watts they should, and felt lively. YAY! A little late, but glad to feel good.
Around Camosun i put some pressure to the pedals for a minute, and it felt fine. HR and breathing increased at a normal rate. Okay, on to the Observatory for a 350 watts and 5min test (hopefully one and the same!)
I've been curious to see how my power compared to when i started doing my 350w intervals. My first test saw me holding 350w up to the first switchback in under 4mins, but failure at that point. Wasn't able to carry on. Also, my 5min PB was 341w, although that was from a year ago...i never have a reason to give my all for 5mins! It's either much shorter (5-30seconds) or 20mins+. (Were i racing track, my 5mins would be much more relative..) Anyway, i had my recent benchmark of ~4mins.
Started off, felt pretty good. Held the watts with relative ease...and managed to feel this way until the steep bit before the switchback...by then was breathing fairly heavily, but far from done. Upon looking at my data, i had actually hit that point around 3'30, and had been holding 360w!
I powered as much as i could while corning the switchback and then back uphill...close to the top of the first stretch i could feel myself beginning to fade, but i wasn't going to give up. Got out of the saddle and maintained as much as i could sustain...i was going to get myself to the buildings..... Still 20m to go, and i was DYING. Breathing so hard, legs very unhappy, i crested the section, sat down and tried to continue pedalling, and there was nothing. That was all i had....
I didn't know what i'd done, i didn't switch over to the timer, so i wasn't sure i'd even ridden 5mins. I cooled down for a minute up there, breathing heavily (a worker there commented!), and then pointed downhill, and made tracks back for home.
So turned out i HAD ridden 5mins, so there was a chance to break my previous PB...and i did, yeah! I managed to average 350w - woohoo! I'm pretty happy to be hitting a PB this late in the season, and esp. after a crappy weak of non-training and illness.. I suspect i'm capable of more, but i think this was the one timeframe i hadn't gotten a PB in this year, so nice to complete that. ;)
Here's the full session details:
Entire workout (201 watts):
Duration: 1:31:44 (1:34:54)
Work: 1096 kJ
TSS: 118.2 (intensity factor 0.882)
Norm Power: 229
VI: 1.14
Distance: 44.426 km
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 863 201 watts
Heart Rate: 78 190 159 bpm
Cadence: 25 124 94 rpm
Speed: 3.9 56.1 29.3 kph
And here's the 5mins breakdown for shits'n'giggles:
Peak 5min (350 watts):
Duration: 5:01
Work: 105 kJ
TSS: 15.2 (intensity factor 1.347)
Norm Power: 350
VI: 1
Distance: 1.668 km
Min Max Avg
Power: 106 492 350 watts
Heart Rate: 133 190 183 bpm
Cadence: 52 99 82 rpm
Speed: 12.5 26.9 19.9 kph
Funny to think i burned up a banana doing that. =P
I had also pinned 190bpm for the final 30 seconds..owwie.. Funny to think that in previous years i'd spend quite a bit of time in that range...much less this year, doing more TT stuff, etc.. I think if i could maintain this effort to the top, i would finish around 6'15..far from any record, but i'd be happy with that! Holding 350w for another minute+ would be quite an achievement...i was DONE at 5mins.
Coming Up
Will jump on the bike for a short ride tomorrow. Planning to head to the mainland for Saturday and Sunday which feature the final BC Cup and Provincial Championships for cyclocross, it'd be fun to see what the events over there are like. For the Provincials, i'd have to race Elite, which will be hilarious, i'll be lapped by most of the field, but hey..heheh
After that my season is FINISHED!! December will feature less time on the bike, and more fun-oriented, including lots of trail time on the RIP9. Also, will be heading back to Crag X to climb - really, really looking forward to that!
A few quick links:
CYCLOCROSS WORKOUT
US Cyclocross Champ Ryan Trebon's Workout - Adjusted for You
http://www.trainright.com/articles.asp?uid=4700&p=4694
Funny to see that a pro is doing pretty much the same workouts as myself! Although i was doing mine a bit harder, spending time quite a bit above my Fieldtest output, but slightly below SS for the 'under' (260w v 270w).
VeloNews: Clinchers for Cross
http://velonews.competitor.com/2009/11/bikes-tech/clinchers-for-cross-three-good-choices_101423
I'm of course a huge fan of the Mud tire (esp the original green Mud). The Wolf is also pretty solid for racing in these parts.
And more pics from Sunday:
Rita's Pics:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Missdragonfly1/CyclocrossShawniganLake
Jamie's pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jam1ec/sets/72157622868380514
Regan's CrossVega Photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reganpringleshoots/sets/72157622859138448/
Happy Thanksgiving to the US readers!
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=============Labels: cyclocross, PB, racing, training
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Fifteen and Four
An epic weekend of racing!
Saturday - Children of the Corn Cross at Sluggett Farm
What an epic affair! This was the most 'authentic' cyclocross i think we've ever seen on the island.
Mud. So much mud. Rain. Cold.
It also started very poorly for me - i did a pre-ride lap (damn thing too nearly 15 minutes!) After, went back to the car to put on my race shoes and fresh socks (soaked).
I'm geared up, heading back, a few other riders are changing as well.. I am just about to the course, and i hear the siren go - the START siren! Gah!
The race started about 200m up from the lap/finish point, which is about where i was...shit!! I get on the course and immediately start chasing - this sucks!! The course starts in the grass with a long straight stretch and a smooth, wide corner, some twists and barriers. I'm about 500m in and i'm starting to catch the trailers..well, that's two down out of almost 30! After the barriers is a short, very twisty wooded section, i'm just about on the back of the pack, and am there as we come out to a muddy section that leads back to the grass....i get by another person struggling.
Once on the grass, it's the longest straight on the course, i gun it, pass another 3-4 riders, and then we turn and hit thicker mud...it's rideable the first lap, but not after.. This leads to the creek crossing - it's over a foot deep, and over a meter wide!! Feet wet again. Yip.
It's a pretty steep scramble to the top in slippery mud...then an uphill stretch with several more shallow crossings...one seems perfect for sucking in a 'cross wheel... I've maybe caught another rider, they're all moving a bit faster now.
From the top of this section we weave through a few backyards, and then into another slick muddy section with a couple short sprints off the bike up steep embankments. And then, into the dreaded cornfield.
On my pre-ride, there were several rideable sections, at least the first 100m into it. It was already churned up waaay too much, and spots were getting deeper..by the end of the race i was frequently stepping in mud up to my knees!!
This was an awful, long section. Maybe 300m in this stuff. So slow-going for me. Here's a shot heading into this mess, one of the only ones from this race from Katie, oddly!
After the mud was this human-made 'hill', basically a stand they made that we have to ride up and over! Right after that is the lap/finish point...gaaah...one lap down, three more to go. It was a very slow course!
I picked off several more riders, and was in a small group duking it out for a while, but i couldn't really sustain a lot of power, and the cornfield was sucking the life out of me...
I ended up 15th, over 7mins behind the leaders, which included Roland. The farthest i've finished behind him! Ugh..
For lotsa entertaining pics, visit here:
http://photos.rabien.com/Cyclocross/Chilren-of-the-Corn-Cross/10241988_4wha9#P-3-16
I'm definitely not an 'authentic' 'cross racer!! The more i'm off my bike, the worse i'm going to do sadly..i'm a bike racer, first and fore-most! Short sprints are manageable, but beyond that...eeep!
Wendy Simms race report has been posted on Island Sports News.
Sunday - Cameron Cross at Juan de Fuca
Entirely different day! Sunny, warm, relatively dry. The course was significantly different as well! I had no idea what to expect, although with a long climb, i suspected that i would not fare too well.
The race started on a paved stretch, we went 200m and then a sharp left into a narrow gateway, and then singletrack uphill. I was in the 2nd row for call-up (yay!).
I kept up front going into the singletrack. We started uphill, which went for maybe 350m. None of it was steep, just a gradual climb. Near the top, i looked back, and i was in a lead group of about 6 riders, and ~20m behind was another smaller pack, an no sign of anyone else.. Kevin Knock was riding at a crazy pace, gapping the rest of us.
At the top of the climb was the only section that i'd have to run - but it was a long, windy section up a steep rocky section. I feared this would be the end of me... I kept up for the first lap, and the group of us began the long descent.
This was the redeeming part of the course for me. It was a very long 'descent', in a Super-D way. Basically, working our way downhill with a number of short power climbs into tight technical corners. And most of it was on the hillside, so it was perhaps 80% off-camber grass. As the lap progressed i passed one or two riders who were either slow moving, or wiped out.
At the bottom was a long stretch through boggy grass (that got worse and more sloggy each lap), into the barriers, around a corner, and into the lap-point and finish line. After that was a couple twists into the 'alley', which had two big stair drops, covered by plywood. The second one was particularly steep, and i nearly bit it a couple times coming down!
After that, were a couple more twists, and then onto the grass and back to the climb. Behind me in the above pic was Guy Gensey, who was on my wheel for much of the race, keeping me honest!
So it turned out that the climb wasn't too bad for me - i was careful to maintain a steady pace, and conserve some energy for the run-up at the end....i would pace myself so by the time i reached the top i would be DEAD, as at the top there was a short 20m boggy flat, but then the downhill hit, and i could recover there. I think that was one of the key elements for me: plenty of potential recovery on this course. There were a number of spots where pedaling hard weren't terribly beneficial, as you'd be hitting a corner quickly, and have to slow down into it...so i carefully maintained a steady pace through each section, and would power out of each corner to get my speed up (and then ease off on the pedaling a bit).
As the laps progressed, i worried that i'd not be able to maintain my pace...i was really hovering above my redline. I'd passed a few more riders, and only one rider had gotten by me: the young (16) Michael Brinton who's proving to be a diverse and strong rider!! This isn't our first encounter. ;)
With a couple laps to go, i knew it was only Roland ahead of me, and Geoff Pendrel (former pro downhiller!) was in sight (couldn't close the gap tho), along with Michael. Not far behind was Guy...on the final lap i was pretty worried he might catch me...but i kept a level head. Steady up the climb, and as fast as i could manage on the run-up. He was right on my heels by the top!! I jumped on my Salsa and powered away into the downhill - it started off with a nice fast drop into a long grassy stretch. I opened 20m immediately, and as we wound our way down, i continued to increase it. Getting to the bottom, i knew that i was safe, and eased off a bit.. I could also see Haldor was maybe 100m further back -- pretty impressive considering he's riding single-speed!!
Nearly tripped on the final barriers, and eased across the finish line. 4th!!!! Yeah!!!
Hanging out with the other top finishers Geoff and Roland, chatting about the race. Roland has been having a stellar season, and collected his first win as well, but it was by the smallest margin yet: just over a minute from me.
I'm pretty happy with that effort, nice to ride a course that suited me pretty well. Would probably have fared even better without that final run-up, but hey! Also, i think it worked for me being the 2nd day of racing -- i'm pretty used to this from the track, where we commonly race 2-4 days consecutively.
Another two amazing race days, thanks to Normon and Wendy, and the other organizers. =)
More pics from Katie here:
http://photos.rabien.com/Cyclocross/Cameron-Cross-1/
And Wendy's race report on ISN. Check the links below for a few more related items!
Training
A bit pooped from the weekend, i thought i'd mix it up, and hopped on my MTB on this grey, near-rainy day. If i was feeling spunky, i might have gone around and up Durrance Rd, and in the 'back' way to the Dump, and then downhill out (Who's Yer Daddy, Nightshift, Skull, Shock Treatment and Executive to Meadowbrook Rd).
That didn't really materialize, but instead i went and investigated a bunch of singletrack trails off the Colquitz trail system, which i ride to get out to the Dump (from downtown you can avoid roads almost entirely to Prospect Lake Rd.) Found some fun alternative sections, and also checked out some of the trails up around Camosun Interurban/PISE, which were pretty fun. A few fun options to liven up the ride out.
Here's my PowerTap data:
Entire workout (180 watts):
Duration: 1:55:55 (2:01:55)
Work: 1255 kJ
TSS: 135.7 (intensity factor 0.838)
Norm Power: 218
VI: 1.21
Distance: 41.359 km
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 869 180 watts
Heart Rate: 71 179 145 bpm
Cadence: 32 212 84 rpm
Speed: 3.9 45.4 21.5 kph
heh - the cadence isn't 'real' on there, just guessed by the software. I'm pretty sure i didn't hit 212rpm. ;)
Wednesday VCX
Final event of the season! Over at Topaz Park under the lights. Funny as we're encircling the soccer field as kids are playing there, we're racing around on the grass. =)
Felt pretty good, and got in a good workout. Had a great first four laps, leading a group of four riders, but by the time the final lap came around, i faded and fell back. Roland and i were maintaining the same pace, except he took off at the start and was maybe 200m ahead. ;)
30mins solid race workout, over an hour on the bike total.
CrossVega - November 22nd!!
Details are still being sorted out, but the final Cross on the Rock event is likely to be called CrossVega, and i have the pleasure of designing much of the course! OA and OBB will be the primary sponsors, and we're going to design an awesome Island Championship race course at Shawnigan Lake School. More details to come, we're heading out tomorrow morning to scout out the grounds... The date will be November 22nd, plan to come out and race or cheer!! Food will be all vegan, aiming for chili and corn bread, cupcakes and more!
Links'n'Stuff
As usual, lotsa stuff i've come across:
The Fiery Tumble
http://picasaweb.google.ca/cycletouringcanada.com/NutcaseSingleSpeedChampionshipOfTheUniverse?feat=directlink#5398934088619199378
haha - it was caught on film!! You might recall me highlighting how i nearly fell into the fire trenches, here's the evidence, click through the sequence as i nearly get torched!!
The Lightest Bike in the World
http://photo.mpora.com/photo/5Qr6Tvg1cD
Title says it all. ;)
Roland Spills, Still by Still
http://i.imgur.com/ZSLMJ.jpg
Another great photo sequence as Rollie narrowly avoids biting it on Sunday!!
Cameron Cross Pics
http://picasaweb.google.com/davenoisy1/20091108CrossOnTheRock5Colwood
A bunch more pics from me of the Masters, Women's and Expert races from the Sunday, good overview of the course.
Northerners Steal SSCXWC09: Drew MacKenzie and Kari Studley Golden in the Mud, Seattle Crowned 2010 Host
http://cxmagazine.com/northerners-steal-sscxwc09-drew-mackenzie-and-kari-studley-golden-seattle-crowned-host
My 'cross buddy Drew took his second SingleSpeed World Championship title - nicely done, earning the coveted golden speedo!!!
That's it for now! This weekend i'm planning to return to the OBB group ride on Saturday, and Sunday might see a MTB ride...happy trails!
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=============Labels: cyclocross, mud, racing, training
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A Moderate Week
A fairly easy week training-wise, just a couple 2hr EM rides, partially due to feeling a bit under-the-weather on Tuesday, and a double-header race weekend about to esplode!
Tomorrow is a flat but muddy course at Slugget Farm in Saanich, and Sunday is a hilly and grassy course at the Juan de Fuca Rec Center (home of our beloved velodrome that we've been locked out of: screw you Dave Saunders you gurgling idiot!!)
My two rides looked a little something like this:
Tuesday
Entire workout (208 watts):
Duration: 2:01:09 (2:04:49)
Work: 1502 kJ
TSS: 146.9 (intensity factor 0.856)
Norm Power: 223
VI: 1.07
Distance: 61.235 km
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 833 208 watts
Heart Rate: 79 180 157 bpm
Cadence: 21 118 95 rpm
Speed: 3.8 59.4 30.5 kph
Thursday
Entire workout (208 watts):
Duration: 2:11:45 (2:16:55)
Work: 1632 kJ
TSS: 160.4 (intensity factor 0.858)
Norm Power: 223
VI: 1.07
Distance: 66.168 km
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 711 208 watts
Heart Rate: 70 179 157 bpm
Cadence: 29 122 95 rpm
Speed: 4 55.5 30.4 kph
If i'm anything, i'm consistent, apparently! Similar but different routes.. I lucked out Thursday, it was raining all morning, and for the 2-4pm window that i snuck out, it was dry, and we actually had a few sunny breaks! Also, thanks for the company from Lysanne.
Wish me luck this weekend!
Links Of Interest
Al Gore on ABC News, talks a bit about diet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrfAW1NvWV4
Some comments:
Methane is 20x more damaging than CO2.
"I'm not a vegetarian, don't plan to become one."
"But the biggest issue, by far, is CO2. And methane comes from a lot of sources...natural gas, coal mines, rice, a lot of sources."
Good job, Al Gore. Way to ignore this "inconvenient truth".
No Need for Vegans to Give Up Fat, Gluten, Soy or Cooked Foods
http://veggiedietitian.blogspot.com/2009/11/no-need-for-vegans-to-give-up-fat.html
Amen to that, Ginny! Veganism is not a deprivation diet, but should actually expand one's dietary horizon! Follow her on Twitter as well: http://twitter.com/TheVeganRD/
MEC Reveals their New Line of Bikes
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_listing.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302886456&bmLocale=en
I'm not really impressed...these don't seem like very good values. I don't think bike shops have much to worry about.
Number of Animals Killed to Produce 1 Million Calories in Eight Food Categories
http://www.animalvisuals.org/data/1mc/
An interesting visual.
Vegetari-what?
http://bit.ly/2rm26j
Beeb article on the confusing 'levels' of vegetarianism...let's not let this happen to veganism!
NISSCCOTU Race Report by Wendy Simms
http://islandsportsnews.net/?p=3792
Hilarious race report from Wendy from last weekend's Single Speed Championships, check it if you haven't already!
Plus Some NISSCCOTU Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcgtXPn_UBE
Some fun footage, plus i'm in there:
* 3:05 - Air Vegan!
* 5:35 - In the mud..
NISSCCOTU GPS - Roland's Garmin Data
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/17648271
Kind of cool to check out, Roland's GPS data from the race.
Another Vegan Cycling Blog: Chronicals of the mtbVegan
http://mtbvegan.wordpress.com/
Twitter friend Regina's postings, a strong SS rider from Milwaukee, WI.
All Things Cyclocross on the Island
http://victoria.organicathlete.org/cyclocross
From the OA Victoria site, this link connects to most all the cyclocross stuff on the island. =)
Alright, gotta keep on the prep for tomorrow, wish me luck!
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=============Labels: cyclocross, training
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NISSCCOTU-WTF?!
Survived the weekend! Saturday was the Nutcase Intercontinental Single-Speed Cyclocross Championships of the Universe, aka NISSCCOTU, and Sunday was World Vegan Day. A report on what we did is here.
Training-wise, last week i rested up on Thursday and Friday, and then Saturday:
NISSCCOTU
Okay, is it me, or does this sound like some sinister beast, perhaps a North American relative of the chupicabra?!
Anyway, the Errington (just outside of Parksville) race on Fletcher's Farm was a hoot, with an astounding number of ways to injure and maim yourself. =)
It started off with a Leman's-style 500m foot-sprint...and it was not unlike Braveheart.
I yelled FOR FREEDOM!!!!
There were some chuckles..
We were awaiting some fireworks to go off as a start signal. More moments passed. Norm's waving his pink arms.
FOR MORE FREEDOM!!
More laughter...and Norm just tells us to go:
We're off - dodging cow patties in the process!
And did i mention that we all removed our front wheels, and had to pick them up at the 250m mark, and then remount our wheels when we got to our bikes at the 500m mark?
There i am off behind the Pink Normon. Drew, on the left, lived up to his costume, and is the reigning 2008 World Single Speed Champion. I'm back in the game, there between the pink princess and cow:
The ride was short, as we immediately hit the 10 PACK set of barriers. Yes - 10 sets of barriers:
I think i was lapped a few times whilst in the barriers..
Luckily speed was picked up quickly out of the barriers as it was a bit of a downhill on the field, and a short curvy road and then the lap-point and Finish. From there, some more twists and turns, and into the wooded section, which had a loads of roots and tight twists. That spit us out on the descent over the fire trenches.
Yes - FIRE TRENCHES!!
They dug out two pits and filled them with wood, and lit it on fire, AIR VEGAN!
Not everyone jumped the trenches, like my teammate Jen:
Or ROLAND!! (Dishonoring Wendy Simms, who he's dressed up as!)
Of course, i was the only person to take a tumble, very nearly rolling into the pit itself!!
That was pretty much the end of my race there..chain was off, put it back on. I hopped back on my bike, and then it clicked what people were yelling to me "straighten your bars!". Gah. Hop off, rotate my bars back straight.
Foolishly, i'd been trying to fully bunny-hop the trenches, but turns out (i learned the next lap) all you had to do was ride over them, you ought to have enough momentum to carry you over..haha.. It doesn't help my bars are pretty low, and the lower tire pressure also threw me off, literally, as it squished a lot when i landed! I'm no aerial artist at my best...
Several people passed as i fumbled on the pits, and got going again, chasing down those i could. It mainly ended up to be dualing match between Tom and myself..i'd catch and pass him on the flats, and then he'd get by me on the climbs and barriers (you can see him in front of me in the 10packs above).
There was a short flat across a grassy field, then up a short hill, some more wooded twists, then back down and into a cornfield:
There were still stalks of corn sticking up, so it was like 'thuk thuk thuk thuk' as you rode through. That lead up to a short run-up, and into the mud. It started off with thick, boggy mud (with 'islands' of hard grass), and then onto a trail which was literally like riding on chocolate pudding. Luckily, the deep puddle that was there last year was quite a bit more shallow this year:
That spit us back out onto the cornfield, and back up to the grassy field, another short uphill in the grass to the barriers, and then around the lap-point.
On the final lap, Tom was having trouble with his saddle, which enabled me to get by and stay away.. There was another rider 50m ahead at that point, and so i gunned it! He had a big lead going into the barriers, but i was motoring through for once..helps having a little motivation!
I actually manage to get out of the barriers just as he was about to hop back on his bike - YES!! I remount, and DAMN! CHAINS OFF!! Gaaaah.. I fumble with it, and look back, and my buddy Jamie is in hot pursuit too, trying to lap me! I get back on the bike, but with the 400m or so to go, it's not really much of a concern. I ease up to make it fairly close. ;)
Thanks to Katie for all these pics! I finished 23rd (out of 33), it was only one category. Single-speed racing is not my cup of tea! I picked a pretty good gear for me (something like 34x19), it felt okay for the first half, and then a bit big in the 2nd half. It was such a rolly course that cadence was changing constantly, from 60-110rpm. I'll stick to the geared riding! Big thanks to our team sponsor Eatmore Sprouts, who gave us a good dose of healthy deliciousness to bring home. =)
All of Roland and Katie's pics are here, and Dave Silver also has an excellent gallery here. Normon and Wendy's race report is a hoot too, and be sure to check out the pics - i don't know if the one of the two OBB fairy's jumping over the firepit was coordinated, but it's a hilarious shot either way. =)
This weekend is the double-header around Victoria, with one race in Saanich (Slugget Farm) and the other in Colwood at the Juan de Fuca grounds (site of our poor velodrome.)
Keeping the training fairly tame this week. I meant to get out yesterday, but was feeling a bit under the weather (my Sunday - World Vegan Day - was uber-busy, from 11am-9:30pm), and Saturday was also a lot of time out (left at 9am, got home at 8pm), and was pretty stessed-out planning for both activities in the day leading up. I'm a little more accustomed to a slower pace. ;)
Today (looks nice out!), will head out and see what the legs feel like, might just be a 2hr EM, considering some 'Hard/Harder' intervals that Normon and Wendy suggested..that'd be 4mins @ 300w, then 2mins harder, say 350w. Prolly chill Wed, and another 2hrs EM Thu, and then race the weekend!
If anyone reading this is interested in helping out with the Velodrome Association, our AGM is on Thursday, details here.
It also turns out that i'm going to be designing the final race course for the Cross on the Rock series, on Nov 22nd out at Shawnigan Lake School, this should be interesting.....! Will be heading out on Friday to scope out the terrain and basic course.
Links & Such
A few items that might be of interest to readers:
Another Vegan Cycling & Cyclocross Blog
http://theveganvagabond.blogspot.com/
My friend Tanya (aka Vegan Vegabond) maintains an entertaining blog, check it out!
Pure Sweet Hell "Cyclocross Film" (Three Minute Trailer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkOhzvv-4vA
Very authentic trailer, check it out!
Alcohol Stunts ATP Production
http://cyclingnutrition.blogspot.com/2009/10/alcohol-blunts-atp-production.html
Interesting piece, i'm already aware that alcohol inhibits testosterone production (so not a great idea to drink after a workout), also turns out that it stunts ATP production, which sprinters rely on to fuel their muscles.
A Vegan Feminist Lament
http://caroljadams.blogspot.com/2009/10/vegan-feminist-lament.html
A blog entry from Carol Adams (author of The Sexual Politics of Meat) - really great piece, here's a quote:
"When vegans eat with meat eaters, many of us don’t see “meat.” We see the remains of a morally abandoned being, at the center of the table, being buried into the stomachs of those around us. We are not just supposed to be quiet, we are supposed to be polite."
That's it for now, keep on riding!
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=============Labels: cyclocross, racing, training
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A Gov'ner of Giv'ner
Training updates, easy conversion of your bike to a single-speed and some interesting news items!
Training
I think my training session on Tuesday (Monday was a rest day) might have been one of the hardest i've ever done..!
Much like my previous effort, i did more of the 8min Over/Under intervals at the Observatory. This time, i succeeded in doing five, 3x 'hard' and 2x 'easy'. Hard and easy are relative of course, 'hard' just means i start off with the 'over' and do them all earlier.. 'Easy' means i ease into it, but in the end i'm doing the same thing. No matter the order, there's 5mins at ~260w (my 1hr Lactic Threshold/Functional Threshold Power) and 3mins above 350w, which is definitely an anaerobic effort for me. I can sustain that for perhaps 5mins, so doing 3mins mixed in with virtually no recovery at 260w means it's hurt time.
So my intervals looked something like this, unfortunately my HR strap wasn't picking up, i'm sure i was well above 190bpm for most of these. Also, rested 5mins between each effort (mainly descending the hill):
#1 1O/1U/1O/2U/1O/2U
Watts: 303 (feeling good)
#2 1O/1U/1O/2U/1O/2U
Watts: 301 (feeling it)
#3 1O/1U/1O/2U/1O/2U
Watts: 299 (seriously - owwie)
#4 2U/1O/2U/1O/1U/1O
Watts: 303 (booya!)
#5 2U/1O/2U/1O/1U/1O
Watts: 299 (holy crap)
I'm pretty pleased with myself, there's some real improvement! A couple weeks ago i was barely holding 293w on the 4th effort, and didn't even try a 5th! For the 1hr my Normalized Power was 276w, which is WAY above my actual FTP (260w.) I also got a TSS score of 113 in that hour. Scary when 40mins was actual 'work'. So in summary, there was 40mins averaging ~300w, and 15mins of that was above 350w. Earlier in the summer my *hard* workouts had me achieving maybe 32mins @300w (steady, TT effort). I'm pretty sure that's a new high for me!
TrainingPeaks WKO+ summary for the entire ride:
Entire workout (193 watts):
Duration: 2:35:03 (2:50:48)
Work: 1772 kJ
TSS: 224.4 (intensity factor 0.937)
Norm Power: 244
VI: 1.26
Distance: 66.062 km
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 896 193 watts
Heart Rate: 86 174 152 bpm (incomplete)
Cadence: 23 149 87 rpm
Speed: 3.7 63.8 25.8 kph
The rest of the ride was pretty straight-forward, from Oak Bay took Richardson across through downtown, onto the Goose, met training buddy Lysanne at the Trestle, rode out along the Goose and Interurban. (EM pace, 220-240w). Did intervals, suffered, thanks to the cheering and encouragement of Lysanne and friend Mark who also came out. EM ride back continued along W.Saanich to the rolly Sparton/Oldfield/Brookleigh, across the highway and Santa Clara/Claremont/Blenkinsop/MacKenzie/Henderson/Foul Bay. Nice day for it too, btw.
VCX practice race tonight, and it was WET!! Much smaller group out, maybe 25 of us. (There have been upwards of 70 some nights!) It was nice to get some practice in the rain tho, and slipping around in the mud, since it's been sooo dry!! The green Michelin Mud tires (original tread) are amazing. The Mud2's are pretty much the standard tire around here, but the originals are even better...will definitely be nabbing any more i ever see. Apparently there's a petition out there to get Michelin to produce them again, i totally understand why. Here's a shot of me from tonight:
It's not too clear in the shot, but i was pretty covered in mud. =)
Got in about 28mins of racing, my first few laps were great! I started off at the back, and moved up a bunch of positions, catching the group my main rival Roland was in, and managed to work my way up to the front of that! Cleared the group and had a pretty solid gap (wtf?!) but the climb became REALLY slick, and my tire slid and i came to an utter halt. I was pushing it pretty good, and so just stalled there...everyone caught and passed me, and i took a moment to get my momentum up again..haha.. Chased again after that, but i was pretty wiped by then...maybe 28mins of racing? I also basically TT'd it to get there, since i was running late. =P
For the rest of my week, i'll prolly just chill, maybe head out for an hour on Friday. Saturday is the SingleSpeed Championships of the Universe in Errington (near Parksville), part of the Cross on the Rock series! I'm looking forward to this mostly..will be interesting to see what gear i'll want...
Elegant, Simple Way to Convert Your Bike to SingleSpeed
And how will i be making my Campy drivetrain a single-speed? It's easy: three zipties. One on each lever, preventing the upshift (around the brake and shift lever.) To prevent downshifting, a third ziptie goes around the down or toptube over the shift cables (don't cover the brake!) If you hit the thumb lever on the shifter, the cable goes lax, but if the ziptie is tight, it won't drop.
SRAM is the easiest, two zip ties on the levers. No more shifting. Do it to your buddies on the road. =P
Shimano is annoying, and takes a bit more. Zip ties on levers prevents downshifting. Two small bolt'n'nuts are needed directly on the cables where they first come out (on the toptube or downtube right at the headtube.) Bolt 'em on nice and close to the housing stop, and you're good as gold.
Post any other tips in the comments section!
News of Interest
A few news stories that have crossed my way that are of interest to the cycling and vegan world.
Worldwatch Institute: "Livestock and Climate Change"
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6294
WW challenges the claims of the UN's FAO report "Livestock's Long Shadow", which asserts that ~18% of all greenhouse emissions come from animal agriculture. (Which is higher than the entire transportation sector: cars, trains, planes, boats, etc..) WW insists that the FAO is off significantly, and the actual number is in the range of 51% of all global emissions. The article even encourages getting kids to eat 'analogs' like veggie burgers and soy milk. Amazing. Note that this hasn't gone unchallenged, and i've noticed many claiming that respiration, which wasn't factored into the FAO report, shouldn't be included. WW says it should be included, and if i understood the report, it's based on the fact that we're adding ~50 billion breathing creatures, and at the loss of carbon-sequestering forests and plains, for both the animals themselves, and the fields for all the food they need. One critique is here from Stephen Walsh of the Vegan Society.
NYTimes: "To Cut Global Warming, Swedes Study Their Plates"
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/world/europe/23degrees.html?_r=1
Tied in with the above piece, foods in Sweden are being labeled with their carbon emissions.
NYTimes: "The Sex of Athletes: One Issue, Many Variables"
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/sports/25intersex.html?_r=3&ref=global
A thoughtful piece on gender in sports.
Cyclingnews.com: Katie Compton's 'Cross Bike
http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/katie-comptons-planet-bike-stevens-cyclocross-carbon-team
A few interesting tweaks and parts on the bike. I agree that the Crank Bros pedals are pretty slick if you're not clipped in!
Velonation: Bruyneel: Armstrong close to quitting after collarbone mishap
http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/2066/Bruyneel-Armstrong-close-to-quitting-after-collarbone-mishap.aspx
Subject says it all..a bit on the team tension with Contador as well.
And that's it for tonight, safe riding! =)
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=============Labels: cyclocross, news stories, training
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Cyclocross is a Go!
Allo allo! Lot's going on to blog about, you can follow along on this blog - you will know it is time to turn the page when you hear R2D2 beep like this: "do do-do do do...ba-baaaah". Let's begin..
OA
The OA Victoria Chapter has been busy, we organized Learn to Race Cyclocross clinics the last 8 Saturday mornings ( and we're grateful for all our guest instructors: Craig Richey, Tom Skinner, Geoff Pendrel, Drew MacKenzie, Jon Taylor and 2009 Canadian National Cyclocross Champ Alison Sydor!), and our members have been showing up at the Cross on the Rock race series and putting on a good show! More on that below. We also organized what we called the Mini 'Cross Comps, short competitions focusing on specific 'cross skills. The events were the Sand Pit Invitational, Whirly Whirl World Championships and the Short Track Sprint Showdown. Unfortunately we never got around to the Shoulder & Run Hill Climb Hustle. No one seemed very eager for that one. ;)
Congratulations to Emile DeRosnay as well, who won 2 Bronze Medals at the Canadian National Track Championships in the Points Race and Madison - he had a banner season, and we're looking forward to seeing him tear it up next year! Hopefully we have a track here..
We've also got links to all things cyclocross-related in Victoria, including the results from the Mini 'Cross Comps, click here!
Training
The general lack of racing had resulted in an insane amount of very specific training for me! My summer (basically starting in June) was focused on 300w. My overall goal was to train myself to be able to ride the Sidney TT at 300w. (Figure a sub-25min time with that.) It was over-ambitious...my max wattage was in the 270w range (and my 1hr LT around 255w), but i figured go big or go home!
I devised a training program that essentially had me spending a lot of time at my target wattage, the basic theory is adapting my body to that kind of effort/intensity. And you know what: it was working!
Now, my max wattage for the TT come the end of Aug was 288w (~25:30 time) - it's not 300w, but it's a SIGNIFICANT jump over my previous wattage. The way it was increasing, i might have gotten quite a bit closer to my goal in another month or two.. So, pretty happy with that. 300w and more will be mine in 2010!
Now that it's 'cross season, and i've got the most solid TT base i've ever had, i'm now focused on what CX demands, and my main training has been the lovely Over/Under intervals. For this, my 'Under' wattage is my 1hr LT threshold: ~260w. My 'Over' is 350w. These things are pretty tough, and go something like this:
The entire effort is 8mins, alternating at O/U efforts. Normally something like: 2mins U, 1min O, 2min U, 1min O, 2min U. The goal is to be able to go hard, then return to a steady pace, and then hard again, and repeat this and be able to recover at threshold. Rest between efforts is 5mins.
I've been making them harder, my goal is to spend more time at 350w, so there's an extra O in there. My 'easy' repeat looks like: 2minU, 1minO, 2minU, 1minO, 1minU, 1minO. I call it 'easy' because you ease into it, there are big recovery sections, and the last O is at the end. It's always easier to go hard when the end is in sight!
I do these at the Observatory, and i find it takes me exactly 8mins doing these to get to the top. Funny that. ;)
The 'tougher' ones start off more intense, and have shorter O's off the start, so something like 1O/1U/1O/2U/1O/2U. So i'm much closer to the 'red zone' the entire effort. I don't know if this is *actually* any harder, by my HR might suggest this is the case: it's several BPM lower on the 'easier' effort.
All these efforts average out to ~300w and 8mins, plus each one include 3mins@350w. (Note that my stats show i can hold 350w for around 5mins max.) Today, i did four - i was hoping for five, but figured that was pretty good, considering i'd taken the last week off. Going into the ride, my legs felt like crap, and my EM wattage (220-240w) was feeling like a bit of a challenge, but when i got to the hill, the legs and lungs kicked in, and i actually felt pretty good!
My rest week was literally that! Raced last Sunday, no bike Mon, Tue, did the Wed night practice race in spurts, mainly following speedy peeps to check out their lines in technical sections, then cutting out the longer straights/hills, and catching back on. Thu & Fri were entirely off-bike too, then on Sat i put in some good efforts at the clinic.
Out on a Wed Night VCX Practice Race
Here's the general #'s from my four efforts. I mixed up the timing on my first one:
#1: 1O/1U/1O/1U/1O/3U ( kind of went hard for the last 30sec)
Watts: 302 HR: 180
#2: 1O/1U/1O/2U/1O/2U
Watts: 300 HR: 178
#3: 1O/1U/1O/2U/1O/2U
Watts: 297 HR: 178
#4: 2U/1O/2U/1O/1U/1O ( easier)
Watts: 298 HR: 175
Intervals Completed.. Owie. Lovely day too. ;)
The last time i did these (Tue, Oct 13th) the wattage was something like: 303, 297, 290 & 293. The first two were 'middle' difficulty: 1U/1O/2U/1O/1U/1O, and the last two were progressively 'easier', the final being the 'standard'. No HR data on those. They felt like big efforts tho, but i'd been going hard for several weeks without any real breaks. I think the week off helped. Happy with the improvements tho!
So, summary from today: 32mins averaging 300w, and 12mins of it at 350w. That's a pretty solid workout, and should help me move up in the racing.. I'm feeling quite good right now ( normally would be burnt out by now!) and i'm thinking that i'll just keep getting stronger until the end of the season.
The rest of my ride was basically 40mins EM ride to the Observatory, the intervals, and 40+mins back, rode the waterfront home. Full stats for the day:
2h14, 1568kJ
Duration: 2:14:10 (2:29:07)
Work: 1568 kJ
TSS: 188.5 (intensity factor 0.921)
Norm Power: 240
VI: 1.22
Distance: 60.35 km
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 770 196 watts
Cadence: 26 118 88 rpm
Speed: 3.7 57.6 27.2 kph
I've also gotten Training Peaks WKO+ which is fantastic for this stuff...i'm such a numbers geek. =)
The rest of the week is looking something like:
* Mon - rest
* Tue - likely more O/U, 4x, maybe 5x if holding up at the end of #4.
* Wed - practice VCX race
* Thu - rest
* Fri - rest or 1hr EM if feeling peppy
* Sat - Race! Heading up to Errington for the Single Speed Championships!
* Sun - World Vegan Day!! Got a bunch of events lined up in the city, see The Victoria Vegan for more. =)
Cross on the Rock
We're super-lucky to have Normon and Wendy organizing this series for us, and it's probably one of the best CX race events in the world! Super-fun, a huge variety of courses, and amazing atmosphere. Why, at the last event, they had vegan Tofurkey Beer Brat sausages for us to celebrate Crosstoberfest! It was fantastic, site page here, four more events coming up, with the final three around Victoria!
My racing has been going quite well, although i was hoping for better results... Still, i'm certainly vastly improved from previous years. I still suffer from the same track specificity - i can go freaking hard/fast for 2-3 laps, but then i explode catastrophically. So, i've been pacing myself a bit better. I get a good start position, roll with the bunch for the first lap, and then settle into a manageable pace. I got my lap splits from the last race, and i was amazed at how consistent i was:
Lap 1: 8:44
Lap 2: 17:43 (so 8:59)
Lap 3: 26:57 (so 9:14)
Lap 4: 36:08 (so 9:11)
Lap 5: 45:01 (so 8:53)
It was a course that suited me fairly well, with three main sections: climbing & descending, twisty forest paths and twisty field. The climbing was miserable as usual, around lap 3 i found myself in a small group with two other riders ("red" & "green"). On the climb, they would peel away. Buh-bye!
Luckily, the decent was fairly long, and a bit technical. I was able to fly, but these two guys weren't moving quite as fast, so i'd recover and catch them at the end, and we'd muddle through the forest and field together, and then they'd be off on the climb again. Final lap, they seemed to get even more of a gap on me on the climb - how demoralizing! I pushed it uphill tho! Descended like a demon, mastered the one slippy corner, and hit the woods full tilt - Green was just ahead, and Red was significantly further ahead..
The barriers - just before the finish line..
I latched onto Green, waiting for a moment to strike and pass.. There wasn't much opportunity in this section, tight twisty trails with lots of roots, rocks and loose soil if you strayed off the beaten path..
There was a big log across the trail near the end of the wooded section, and while many riders in Intermediate were getting off their bikes to run over (and then up a slight incline) i was riding the log without issue. Green hopped off, and ran up the trail. I rode the log, and got on his heels...this would be the time.. As he was remounting in the corner, i took it wide, and snuck past - yes!! He made an effort to get by on the following short downhill, but i kept him at bay..my sprinter legs and keirin experience lended themselves to this.
Next was red, who was barely in sight.. We cleared the woods and up the short climb into the field, and there was Red over 20m ahead powering away in the straight-away... I went into chase mode and kept the pace up. I could still feel Green on my wheel. This was the section that was working well for me however -- i found i was able to recover in there while following Red & Green in the preceding laps... So i rode hard and smooth, and i was reeling Red in. Green was keeping close, but i could tell he was working hard - every tight corner he'd fall back, but would sprint back up. He was doing more work than me.
There were a few final twists, the barriers, and then what would likely be a foot-sprint finish to the line..the line was just past the barriers, no point in trying to remount!
By the time we hit the barriers, i had caught Red!! I was hurting tho, and Green was right there behind me. (He'd tried to pass at one point, but it was easy to block in that section.) We hit the barriers, and Red made it through without issue, as did i and Green. We sprinted for the finish, Red had it - no chance to get by. Green was so close i could feel his front wheel on my hells - i pushed and kept my lead, and finished ahead - woohoo!! The battle for 7th thru 9th was completed...
It was pretty awesome, that's the closest i've been to actual 'racing' in an event -- usually we're all split up much more..which is pretty amazing, considering that there are about 30 people in the category, and only 2 were lapped.
I finished about 1.5mins down from Roland, my main nemesis in the series. ;)
I've been doing well to reel him in. The first race, at Beban Park, was a tough one. Lots of straight-aways, and hardly any technical or recovery sections. About the only place i could recover was the Whirly Whirl! It was brutal. Rollie finished ~3mins ahead there. I finished 10th.
In the Whirly Whirl
The second race was at Bowen Park, and had a very long road section, lot of short, sharp climbs, not so twisty, and a huge sand-pit that you went through TWICE! There was also a HUGE staircase, but for some reason i actually moved pretty fast up it (after watching the following races, where many were barely moving up it!) I had my first ever technical in a CX race - a flat on my front! It happened about 4mins away from the pit, so i rode gingerly and managed to stay upright. It was right at the final lap, and as i was changing my wheel, four riders went by. I managed to catch three of them right away, but the 4th stayed away. I finished 12th there. I figure if it weren't for the flat, i would have been about 2.5mins behind Roland..
At the top of the Apex about to hit the main Sand Pit
Oh yes, i love running in the sand..
The Sprint Finish vs "Green"
At Providence, i finished 8th, and only 1.5mins down - yip! The times are shrinking.... In the series, i'm sitting in 6th overall in Intermediate. Quite a gap between me and 5th, so not sure if i'll be moving up much more...i'll continue to giver tho. ;)
Alright, that's enough of an update! I'm planning to post here regularly on my training and racing, so keep an eye out.
Peas out!
- Dave
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Barely Legal Vegan!
Hey all y'all!
It's the beginning of September, and for me that means Veganniversary! It's my vegan anniversary, and this year is my 19th year being vegan, yay me! =)
Cyclocross season is also about to explode!
OA Vic is leading Learn To Race clinics each Saturday morning, we meet at 9am behind OBB. It's free, and people of all levels are welcome to come out, and learn new skills, or work on current ones. We hit a few spots that are handy for practicing specific skills, and usually end up at Beacon Hill Park where we set up a mini course with lots of tight corners and barriers to practice on. We'll also have several guest instructors! Confirmed is island 'cross star Drew MacKenzie on Sept 26th, and MTB superstar Alison Sydor on Oct 17th. Downhilling legend Geoff Pendrel and cross-country phenom Craig Ritchey (rumored this Saturday) are also lined up as guest instructors, plus a few other potentials...dates TBA.
There are also going to be four 'Cross Mini Comps - very short timed competitions based on specific skills. This Saturday (Sept 12th) is the Sand Pit Invitational - we'll set up a challenging course, and those traveling at speed will definitely experience some 'Tokyo Drift'! Next is the Whirly Whirl World Championships, which is Sept 26th.
All the details on the Clinics and 'Cross Mini Comps are on the new OA Victoria site here: http://victoria.organicathlete.org/cyclocross. We also have links to the Wednesday night race practices, the 'Cross on the Rock series, and other useful local 'cross info.
Finally, a reminder that i'm on Twitter ( @vegancyclist) and to keep an eye on local 'cross details, keep an eye out for #vcx. Here are my latest tweets, see ya out there in the mud!
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Oh my! How About a Little Update?
Wow - i can't believe i've neglected my blog this long!! In general, things have been quite good. The snow has made riding difficult, but i also picked up a Niner RIP9 full suspension 29er mountain bike, which has been a BLAST! It handles well in the snow as well. ;) My training is starting up for 2009, i've got two basic focuses for the year: sprinting and time trial power. That's it! I plan to improve both...if i'm not training one, i should be training the other. My sprinting is probably one of my biggest strengths, so of course it makes sense to improve on that even more. My biggest weakness appears to be my TT power...i can hold a decent amount of wattage over 5-6mins, but after that, i get diminishing returns...so that needs to change. There's no reason i shouldn't be able to hold that for 30+mins!! (Well, other than not having trained it at all for the last couple years!) So, that's the groundwork for me for 2009 - feel free to comment/discuss this in the comments section. =) And yes, i'm seriously considering a few cross country mountain bike races for 2009 as well! I should also include a recap and highlights for the past few months: TRACK * tied for 2nd overall (with futurestar Jacob Schwingboth) in the Trackfest Madison series, won a snazzy jersey for that * won the overall in the GVVA weekly points league Overall i was pretty happy with my track riding. Unfortunately, the year ended prematurely due to conflicts with the WSPRS as they closed down the track for specious reasons, as they wanted to build a stadium ON TOP of the velodrome (yes, fill it in.) Luckily, it appears they've changed gears, and no longer wish to do this, and it's looking promising that we'll have a track for 2009. ROAD * finished 3rd in Cat4 at Bastion Square (didn't trust my legs, waited too long to sprint) * finished 3rd overall in the A's in the Victoria Cycling League (ha!) I hardly did much on the road this year, the VCL final was a fluke, i had a few opportunistic events, if it wasn't for some TT's, low attendences on the road, and of course my strength on the track, i wouldn't have factored in at all. The roadies definitely fair better on their terrain, in great part due to the hilly courses, which slaughter me. The rare flat crits are much preferred. ;) CYCLOCROSS * Whirly Whirl World Champion ;) * finished 12th overall Inermediate in the 'Cross on the Rock series after 6 events It was a fun 'cross season, with the Wed night races, and the excellent series by Norm and Wendy. While my general 'cross skills are pretty solid (cornering, barriers), what kills me in these events is the need for TT power. I can stick with the leaders for the first lap, but of course, i blow up shortly there-after. This will change for 2009, so look out. ;) Best event for me was the Juan de Fuca 'cross event - unfortunately there were no laps on the velodrome, but there was a nasty-ass run-up that was HUGE, and each lap while i'd catch people on the flats, they'd all pass me on the run-up. Very frustrating....but in the final lap i managed to pace myself just right, and maintained my lead in the run-up, and even made some ground by the finish...i think this is the only event i managed to finish ahead of Roland in! The final event was also a bit of a success for me, i decided to start off more 'easy', instead of gunning it and trying to stick with the leaders. This worked out well, as i ended up actually racing (instead of on my own) with a small group, and managed to work my way up, passing one fellow (who fought HARD), and got close to another, but couldn't quite close the gap at the end. It was sweet actually duking it out tho. =) OA VICTORIA Our club had a *fantastic* year, and here's a highlight of all our amazing members: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pnfzlMjRxwTsEWTpK45rFcgToo much to highlight, but i'm very proud of all our competing members - you all kick ass!! =) ( Our club is looking for sponsors for 2009, fire me a note if you'd be keen to alighn with the OrganicAthlete Victoria chapter!) Alright, that's the breakdown for the last few months, i'll try and post a bit more frequently - happy 2009 all! =) Labels: cyclocross, log, road racing, track
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Cyclocross Racing!
Hey everyone, it's been a while since i've updated, but lots has been going on, mainly, it's 'Cross Season! And that means more suffering for me. I feel like where i was 3yrs ago when i started track racing... All the guys i have no prob keeping up with on the track are booting me in the hiney on the 'cross scene, pretty funny. You see, i'm a very conditioned athlete - i do high cadence and low-torque very well. Put me in a situation after doing that for 8 months where it's the opposite - low cadence and high-torque, stop-and-go, and you've got a world of hurt for The Shish. But ahh well, it's all for fun!! The ultimate worst for me are long stairs or run-ups...i practically come to a standstill on those areas. Otherwise, i'm fairly well skilled, my barrier-hopping is pretty solid, as are mounts and dismounts. The other tough area is cornering on grass, but i think the used tires i bought are too worn, and so we'll see how this changes when the Block 8's i ordered arrive....... I'm LOVING my Salsa Chili Con Crosso. It rides like a dream, super comfortable, looks awesome and fits me great. I can hardly wait to take off the 'cross tires and winterize it, and await the rain....this will be excellent motivation for the crappy days. After a month and a half riding it, it was nice to hop back on the Argon18 too tho...i'm liking my bikes. =) Below are my latest race reports, and i'm also excited to have finally met Christine 'Peanut' Vardaros in person, after a million years of emailing! This was at the San Francisco Vegetarian Festival, and she at Art Eggersten shared an excellent presentation. Art is brilliant, he's a coach of professional and olympic-level athletes and specializes in whole-foods vegan nutrition, and is one of the few people you'll encounter who will tell you that most people are getting WAY too much protein. He advocates something like 0.384 grams per kg of lean body mass per day. That puts me under 30 grams a day - i'm trying it out, and so far so good the last few weeks. Art's food blog is here. The gist of this is that most people are suffering from acidosis, their body remains in an acidic state, which inhibits recovery and leads to long-term problems like osteoporosis. By focusing on whole foods (ie, raw or steamed veggies, fruits, grains) this state is avoided almost completely, allowing for much faster recovery, and a much higher density of nutrition than processed foods can offer. I've been leaning this way, and am finding it to be favorable. I feel *much* better after a hard training ride after eating a bunch of greens and some grains, than if i were to eat something more traditional like pasta. It's really noticeable. His ProBar is also pretty damn tasty, not available in Canada unfortunately!! Here's Christine and i from the SF Veg Vest, Blue Steel!! Follow along in her blog as this vegan is tearing it up at the World Cup cyclocross series. Race reports: Oct 8 - Turkey Cross, VictoriaAwesome course, i felt totally at home, as 333m of each course was around my turf, the velodrome! The rest of the course wove around the Juan de Fuca center, including over the BMX course. Go motto or go home! I've been stricken with a lingering cold since SF (too many planes and people!), and so wasn't on my best game, but got a good start position, and stuck with the front group for the first lap, then faded in the following laps, finishing ~16th (out of around 25 starts in Intermediate.) Worst part for me was the run-up, best part were the long and flat sections, like the velodrome. =) I was given'er tho, my average HR over nearly 50mins was 186bpm. Zoiks Scooby! I wonder if maybe i'm going *too* hard, and if i backed off a bit if i'd do better...? Full gallery of shots here, select shots below. Oct 14 - Cross in the Valley, DuncanI wasn't quite as fond of this course, tho there were a few really neat elements, like a huge mud pit, and a sand pit you'd hit 90 degrees off a big fast straight-away which i thought i'd die in each lap! The big sandy run-across was a nightmare, filling cleats with sand, and all the grassy corner wreaked havoc on me.. Once more finished 16th with ~23 starters in the Intermediate category. More select photos, full gallery here. There's also been an underground Wed series, which has been a hoot, thanks to the peeps for organizing these, much appreciated!! There were pretty big turnouts, upwards of 40 i'd say. Two more ridecams have been posted, shots as i'm out and about, including a bunch from SF, and the Wed 'cross races. I'm also happy to announce that OA Victoria has expanded, and i've got two teammates for the 2008 season on the road, track and 'cross, my pals Emile and Marty! Look out, as we'll be tearing up the track scene. =) Lots more pics of them in the galleries as well. I'm excited to have teammates, after racing solo for more than 2yrs! OA Vic is expanding as well, we're up to 15 members, most are triathletes, but some are getting lured to the road and track as well. ;) Two races remain this year, the 3rd 'Cross on the Rocks event in Nanaimo on Nov 4th, and the fifth and final Track BC Cup in Burnaby on the Nov 11th weekend, where i'll be defending my 2nd place standing in the series. Matt Chater should be declared the champ, no way anyone is going to catch him, fantastic racing buddy!! After that, i finally get to rest for a bit...phew!! Noisy out! Labels: cyclocross, log
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Trackfest #3 and a NEW CROSS BIKE!!
The last few days have been pretty exciting, check it: Trackfest #3 / BC Cup #4Final big race in Victoria this year, i'm pretty toasted from all the organizing...still, very rewarding! Quick summary of the event, i raced 'A' of course, and in the bunch races seven started in each: Madisons - i paired up with speedster Julian Base who has the coolest wheels. For most of the two races, he thought that he needed to maintain 30kph in the corners (like in Burnaby) so while everyone else did about 1.5 lap exchanges, i was doing 2-2.5...add to that i raced the first one in a 79" gear (oops! I was in a rush..), we did alright finishing 3rd both times (out of four teams.) 500m ITT - felt great, but was spinning out...realized i put on the 15t instead of the 14t cog...d'oh..got my slowest time in a while of 39-something..5th of five starters. Marty, my new OA teammate, raced B and came in 2nd behind Cooper. 30 Lap Scratch - really surprised myself with my best ride of the day, finished 3rd in this event, which normally leaves me further back.. I just took it easy, no big moves, saving for the final sprint, and it paid off! Fast race, averaged nearly 44kph. Sprints - i don't do matched sprints, but again, Marty came in 2nd behind the indomitable Mike Cooper! 25 Lap Tempo - man, this race was a lot of work! Of course, it was just attack after attack...finished 5th, but only four points separated 2nd thru 5th. My Madison partner Julian was the sprint king and took the most points. Keirin - my keirin mojo has returned! I got myself into a good position and held it, got on Chater's wheel when the sprint began, and stayed there to the line, finishing 3rd! Hit 62kph, woohoo! I haven't mentioned that i've been trying out 165mm cranks (instead of the 170's i've been using for years) and at these high cadences, they feel AMAZING!!! I'm really liking the short cranks. =) Marty had an even more impressive performance - he got a crummy position off the start, but in the final stretch coming out of the corner, he powered up, around and over the entire field to nip Cooper at the line! Woohoo!! Victory for Marty and OrganicAthlete Victoria!!! Marty finished 2nd in the B Sprint Omnium, kick ass dude!! Points Race - my favorite event, but was a bit tuckered since i'd done another Madison right before. Still, gave it what i could, collected points in all but one sprint, and finished 4th. Chater and Base were in full control this race, leaving Emile and myself to fight for the scraps. Overview - i'm quite happy with my riding, i thought i'd suck ass due to an overall exhaustion from all the racing this year, but i rode quite well, perhaps even better than previous events in some respects! I think i'm learning how my body works, and optimizing as much as i can... I finished 4th in the Endurance Omnium, and in the overall BC Cup standings, i'm now solidly in 2nd...hopefully i can hold that at the final BC Cup in November! I think it's pretty unlikely i'll be able to catch (and beat!) Matt Chater, who's well away in 1st. More TT Thoughts
My previous posting has a huge outline of my TT performance (or lack there-of) this year, and TT guru Don Gillmore suggested that the traffic on the course might be the difference... I did note that in my last effort, there were practically no cars, and lots of traffic can mean flying down the highway portion 6kph faster (or more!) Don said that if i've improved in every other area (including Pursuits) and not this one event, then it's likely that this event has changed....i think Ockham's Razor is appropriate in this instance. New Salsa Cross Bike! Check it: Pretty fantastic, eh?? I absolutely *love* my new bike!! It's so damn cool!! Marty and i took off for it's first ride, and it was SO FUN! We cruised around, looking for parks, and would zip around on the trails, then hit the road again, and look for the next park. It's so great to ride around the roads at speed, and then be able to cruise around on other terrain! CX bikes are so much fun, i didn't realize this before! (Since i hadn't bough 'cross tires before.) Anyway, the bike is *nearly* complete. Currently i've got my road wheels, Chorus groupo, Ritchey Comp bars, Specialized Team stem (it's kinda weird being 'high', but rides nice!), and the new Specialized Phenom saddle, which is basically the Toupe for offroad. Light. For brakes, i've taken the original XT V-Brakes off my MTB, and while they feel a bit different, they're working quite well. When i get my new Mavic wheel, i'll be switching over to a disc brake on the front (got a 29'er coming, complete with bladed spokes, yip!) I'm still waiting on the cranks, so have a cheap, heavy BB in there, and Tiagara cranks (thanks Marty!), but it'll be replaced with more Chorus. I'll also find a black anodized seatpost, not sure if i'll go with carbon yet, or maybe just another Thomson...i've liked the one on my Argon18. I'm also on a quest to locate those funky orange Maxxis 'cross tires that you see people like Kabush riding around on....if anyone can score me a pair, let me know!! That's all the excitement for now, a bunch of road racing this weekend, including my first hillclimb..eeep! Here are some more Trackfest pics from Roland: http://picasaweb.google.com/davenoisy/070908TrackfestRolandAnd here's Ridecam 05: http://picasaweb.google.com/davenoisy/070911Ridecam05PS - Thanks again to Murray for the Rudy's and lenses! I finally have dark lenses! Yay!Labels: cyclocross, log, trackfest
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 About
Me
Name:
Dave Shishkoff
aka Dave Noisy
Location:
Victoria, BC
Canada
Click for more!
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Contact me and let me know if you're a vegan cyclist with a blog!
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